When it comes to finding a wet look sealer, the market can be pretty confusing. A true wet look sealer will darken the surface to make it look wet, but many marketing companies are trying to push a wet look sealer as a sealer that makes the surface look glossy. The chemical used determines the finish so in order to determine the best sealer, you need to determine what you want your surface too look like once sealed.

If you want the surface to look dark, or what it looks like when you wet it down with water, then you don’t want a water based wet look sealer. Water based sealers are not capable of darkening the surface. It is the resins used in the solvent based sealers that allow the darkening to occur. If you want a true wet look finish, view our article on Solvent Based Wet Look Sealers. The solvent based wet look sealer will go over wet look sealer options that are matte, low gloss, and high gloss.

If you don’t want the surface to look dark, or what it looks like when you wet it down with water, then you can use a water based sealer. If your idea of a wet look is simply a gloss, you can use a water based acrylic sealer. Water based acrylic sealers won’t darken the surface, but they will coat the surface with a low to high gloss surface film. Lower solids will give you a lower gloss and higher solids will give you a higher gloss. Acrylic sealers need to be re-applied every – years, but they are the best sealer to use if you want to achieve a gloss. To learn more about the best water based wet look sealers, and the differences between water and solvent based, read Best Acrylic Sealers.

If your surface is currently unsealed, you are free to choose the wet look sealer you want. If your surface is already sealed then you need to make sure that the new sealer is compatible with the old, or that all of the old sealer is completely removed. Here are a few things to consider:

• If you currently have a water based acrylic down, you need to recoat with a water based acrylic. You can’t apply a solvent based acrylic over a water based acrylic because the solvents will attack the old coating and both coatings will fail.
• If you currently have a solvent based acrylic down, you need to recoat with a solvent based acrylic. You can’t apply a water based acrylic over a solvent based acrylic because the solvents will attack the old coating and both coatings will fail.
• If you have a penetrating water repellent or densifier down you want to recoat with a water repellent or a compatible coating. Before applying an acrylic over either type of sealer however it is best to check with the technician of the product you are going to use.
• If you have an acrylic sealer down, you want to recoat with an acrylic sealer. You can’t put a penetrating sealer over an acrylic because the film left by the acrylic will prevent the penetrating sealer from being able to penetrate.
• If you have a urethane down, you can’t use any of the above option. You will either need to sand the entire surface and apply more urethane, or remove the urethane entirely. Urethane based coatings are not suggest on exterior applications because sub surface moisture will often cause the coating to fail over time.